Former local government minister Simon Clarke has returned to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) as Secretary of State, under new Prime Minister Liz Truss.
Mr Clarke (pictured) takes over from Greg Clark, who was appointed by former PM Boris Johnson after he removed his predecessor, Michael Gove.
In 2010, Mr Clarke, the then Minister for Regional Growth and Local Government, told first he was a “convinced devolutionist” and that “we should be humble in terms of recognising the limitations of the central state”.
The ministerial team at DLUHC now comprises Paul Scully, appointed in July, and Andrew Stephenson, Dehenna Davison, Lee Rowley and Baroness Scott of Bybrook OBE, all appointed in early September.
Former DLUHC minister Kemi Badenoch is now International Trade Secretary, while former Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick returns to the frontbenches as a health minister.
Other significant cabinet appointments for local government include Thérèse Coffey as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care; Suella Braverman, Home Secretary; Jacob Rees-Mogg, Business Secretary; Chloe Smith, Work and Pensions Secretary; Kit Malthouse, Education Secretary; Ranil Jayawardena, Environment Secretary; Anne-Marie Trevelyan, Transport Secretary; Robert Buckland, Secretary of State for Wales; Michelle Donelan, Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Secretary; and Graham Stuart as Climate Minister.
The LGA’s political leaders have written to new ministers outlining key policy issues for councils and seeking early meetings.